Wow, what a huge place!" Arian looked around with his eyes wide open and said, "How many bulky people are there... how am I supposed to compete with them, I don't know?" Unlike the written test, which he had passed with confidence, now Arian was starting to get a little stressed because the exam room looked more like a place where gladiators fought—where, if you paid attention, the smell of blood had seeped into the walls and became an inseparable part of it... "Alright, dear applicants from the strength boosters, I am Abraham, a judge and one of the professors of the Crucalis school," said the middle-aged man, his face marked with a scar from his previous battles, but his expression was dead, devoid of any emotion. "To be honest, I'm not happy to be here, so let's quickly get this exam over with. Before that, I need to give you some information: out of 121 applicants, 60 failed the written test, and now only you are here!"
With this announcement, the people outside the palace looked at each other in disbelief, wondering how many had failed. Abraham gave the group a quick glance, as if measuring their confidence and fear levels, then continued in a loud, powerful voice, explaining the exam conditions.
"Don't be surprised! The ones who failed were fools. Now, listen carefully. Your practical exam is made up of three different tests, each with its own conditions..."
The participants, upon realizing that this exam was not going to be easy, started getting even more stressed, and cold sweat started to drip from the foreheads of many.
"So, what did you think? Just say hello and we'll let you in the school? This is Crucalis, not a random city! Now, the first test is about endurance! You are not allowed to use mana and must withstand gravity and heat! That's it. No further words. The exam begins now!"
With the final, forceful words of Abraham, gravity was suddenly multiplied several times, causing many people to crash to the floor, their bones breaking with the sickening sound of noses and cheekbones snapping, which made it unpleasant for the parents present outside. However, there were some who didn't even budge. Two people stood firm in their positions—one a tall, young man who, based on his training outfit and hairstyle, appeared to be from the vampire race, and the other a much younger but far more muscular individual, suggesting he was of dragon descent.
In another corner of the room, a boy with silver hair streaked with black, looking quite striking, had everyone mesmerized. He was just 9 years old! Someone who, if from the vampire or dragon races, would still be considered a baby. Yet, this "baby" performed better than many others. While everyone was still in awe of the young boy and admiring him, he muttered to himself: "Oops, I wasn't paying attention. Otherwise, I would've been like those two, standing strong. How embarrassing. After all that training with Zinarfil, losing to two baby giants? No, that can't happen."
As time passed, many people adapted to the gravity, and now it was time for the heat to rise. Gradually, the heat from the walls of the room spread toward the center, causing everyone to start sweating. After a short time, those with lower endurance levels passed out and were unable to continue. But those two individuals, whom Arian called "the baby giants," were still doing great, though the vampire seemed to be weakening because the heat was contrary to the nature of vampires.
However, Arian was now completely at ease. He was performing even better than before, which caused more eyes to turn toward him—exactly what Zinarfil feared.
Meanwhile, outside the room, in front of the palace, where the kings were seated on their special thrones watching the exam, an interesting conversation took place.
"Well, well, Drakensius, congratulations, your bastard is powerful," Andreas said with a piercing gaze, addressing the Dragon King.
Drakensius replied in a colder tone, "Thanks, but he's still raw. There's still time before we call him powerful."
Andreas shrugged and said, "You dragons are always so hard on your own. But honestly, more than Drikaron, that silver-haired kid caught my eye. What do you think?"
Up until this point, Eldinor had remained silent. He gave a thoughtful look and said quietly, "That kid... somehow seems familiar. Like I've seen him before... but I can't remember where."
Raxtilios laughed and said, "You know everyone! Don't you only go between your room and the council chamber?"
Eldinor smiled his characteristic Mona Lisa smile and replied, "Not everyone is like you, just running around here and there, my friend."
Back in the exam room, while the kings were talking, the first part of the exam concluded. Many had been injured due to the harsh conditions—some with broken facial bones, others with severe burns from the intense heat.
"Well, everyone did well. The worthless ones who were eliminated are already gone. Now, from the remaining participants, only 30 are left. Without further ado, let's move on to the second exam. In this test, you will first channel your raw mana into the crystal they will bring you, and then, in the second stage, you will strike the pillar over there with your mana. Now, go ahead and take a short rest... Um, unfortunately, I must announce the top performers so they can go first: First place so far, Drikaron Drakensius Argolyn, second place, Maro, third place, Arian."
The expressions of the top performers each had their own unique story—Arian's anxiety, Maro's calmness, but the most interesting was the eager look that Drikaron gave toward the mana camera.